Senators Warren, Reed and Collins Urge HHS to Release Remaining Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Funds from FY 2023
Senators Warren, Reed and Collins Urge HHS to Release Remaining Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Funds from FY 2023
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) joined a letter led by Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), urging the agency to swiftly release the remaining $1.5 billion in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding that Congress delivered in fiscal year (FY) 2023.
LIHEAP is a federally funded program that helps low-income households with their home energy bills by providing payment and/or energy crisis assistance. In their letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, the lawmakers urged the agency to immediately distribute the remaining emergency funds to states so they can be disbursed by authorized, local non-profit organizations that deliver social services, community health, and housing assistance to low-income, elderly, and those with disabilities across the country.
“We write to urge the Department of Health and Human Services to release the remaining Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds as quickly as possible,” wrote the lawmakers. “This will ensure state LIHEAP offices can continue to help vulnerable households keep the heat on this winter and plan for the rest of the program year.”
LIHEAP is administered by states and accessed through local Community Action Agencies. Eligibility for LIHEAP is based on income, family size, and the availability of resources.
In addition to Senators Warren, Reed and Collins, the letter was also signed by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Bob Casey, Jr. (D-Penn.), Angus King (I-Maine), Krysten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), John Fetterman (D-Penn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
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